Browne and Thomas are among their counterparts from several countries in the Caribbean attending a Product Identification Training Course in Barbados.

The May 11 and 12 training programme is in keeping with Customs Law Enforcement and Private Sector initiatives to counter global trends against smuggling.

It is organised by the Barbados Customs and Excise Department, in cooperation with Carisma Marketing Services, a subsidiary of British American Tobacco.

This initiative comes against the backdrop of the large-scale smuggling of contraband and counterfeit cigarettes which are entering Caribbean markets, resulting in the loss of millions of dollars in revenue annually to governments and considerable disruption in the trading patterns of legitimate manufacturers.

Participants of the course, who are drawn from Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, St. Kitts & Nevis, Grenada, Belize, Bonaire and Curacao are being provided insights into differentiating between authentic and counterfeit products and will be updated on global trends and activities relating to counterfeit activities.